Pride and Prejudice Vocab 1

Question 1

verisimilitude

Answer 1

n. the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability

Question 2

inherent

Answer 2

adj. existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute; belonging by nature or habit; intrinsic

Question 3

caprice

Answer 3

n. a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action; a sudden, usually unpredictable condition, change, or series of changes; a disposition to do things impulsively

Question 4

discretion

Answer 4

n. the power or right to decide or act according to one’s own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice; the quality of being discreet, esp. with reference to one’s own actions or speech; prudence or decorum

Question 5

circumspection

Answer 5

n. circumspect observation or action; caution; prudence. Adj. Circumspect: watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent; well-considered

Question 6

mien

Answer 6

n. air, bearing, or demeanor, as showing character, feeling, etc.

Question 7

candour

Answer 7

n. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness; freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality

Question 8

affectation

Answer 8

n. an effort to appear to have a quality not really or fully possessed; the pretense of actual possession; conspicuous artificiality of manner or appearance; effort to attract notice by pretense, assumption, or any assumed peculiarity; a trait, action, or expression characterized by such artificiality

Question 9

ostentation

Answer 9

n. pretentious or conspicuous show, as of wealth or importance; display intended to impress others

Question 10

ductility

Answer 10

n. (of a metal, such as gold or copper) able to be drawn out into wire; able to be molded; pliant; plastic; easily led or influenced; tractable

Question 11

fastidious

Answer 11

adj. excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please; requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking

Question 12

supercilious

Answer 12

adj. haughtily disdainful or contemptuous, as a person or a facial expression; arrogant; scornful

Question 13

felicity

Answer 13

n. the quality or state of being happy; an instance of happiness; a pleasing manner or quality especially in art or language

Question 14

satirical

Answer 14

adj. censorious; critical (in Austen’s use);
characterized by the use of satire (noun): the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc

Question 15

pedantic

Answer 15

adj. ostentatious in ones learning

Question 16

propriety

Answer 16

n. conformity to established standards of good or proper behavior or manners; appropriateness to the purpose or circumstances

Question 17

archly

Answer 17

adv. playfully roguish or mischievous; cunning; crafty; sly

Question 18

insipid

Answer 18

adj. without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid; dull

Question 19

reverie

Answer 19

n. a state of dreamy meditation or fanciful musing; a daydream; a fantastic, visionary, or impractical idea; [Music. an instrumental composition of a vague and dreamy character]